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President's Forum with Thich Nhat Hanh

The Asia Society
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pgepps Avatar
pgepps
Posts: 2
Posted: 08.11.08, 01:06 AM
This was an interesting session. I was struck by how receptive an academic audience was to an extended prayer meeting (to juxtapose strategically) as an opening to a talk. I was put off by the pushy insistence on drawing out political controversy, in the Q&A, and appreciated the graciousness of the responses. This was a lot to think about, and provides an intelligent and experientially useful reference point for interacting with Buddhism, and understanding Buddhist engagement with world affairs from one possible perspective.
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alicemark Avatar
alicemark
Posts: 0
Posted: 08.11.08, 09:59 PM
The inseparability of spirituality and politics has been brought front-stage by peace advocates such as the Dali Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Aung San Suu Kyi, the Quakers and many others. Spiritual practitioners can no longer fantasize about enlightenment while avoiding the cries of the world for help. Thich Nhat Hanh, offers stark, gentle wisdom for living in a world of anger and violence.
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Alicemark


Jewish Social Network
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Karuna Avatar
Karuna
Posts: 10
Posted: 08.27.09, 05:37 PM
All we need are live discussions and debates on prime time, national television about the divided issues in our country.

“We recommended that the Palestinians and Israeli talk about their suffering, fears, and despair in a public forum that all the world could hear. We could all listen without judging, without condemning in order to understand the experience of both sides. This would prepare the ground of understanding for peace talks to occur.

The same situation now exists between the American people and people of Islamic and Arabic nations. There is much misunderstanding and lack of the kind of communication that hinders our ability to resolve our difficulties peacefully.” (1)

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese, Zen Buddhist Monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. He was nominated by Martin Luther King, Jr. (Dr. of Religions and a Baptist minister) for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967, saying that he didn’t “personally know of anyone more worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize than this gentle Buddhist monk from Vietnam.” (2) Thomas Merton was a 20th century American Catholic writer, a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist and student of comparative religion. He has said Thich Nhat Hanh is his “brother”. “He is more my brother than many who are nearer to me by race and nationality, because he and I see things exactly the same way. He and I deplore the war that is ravaging his country.” He has asked to “Do what you can for him…whatever you would do for me if I were in his position.” (3)

Put simply, Thich Nhat Hanh is the closest voice we have to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thomas Merton—two religious Figures who’re respected by virtually ever Christian and non-Christian in this nation, and a majority of our nation is Christian. I think his opinion should be known and our media and citizens should do what they can to make it known.

(1) http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/Osam...chNhatHanh.htm
(2) http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/025.html
(3) http://books.google.com/books?id=H4Q...merton&f=false

***

“If I were given the opportunity to be face to face with Osama bin Laden, the first thing I would do is listen. I would try to understand why he had acted in that cruel way. I would try to understand all of the suffering that had led him to violence.

This past summer a group of Palestinians and Israelis came to Plum Village, the practice center where I live in southern France, to learn and practice the arts of deep listening and loving speech. (Around 1,600 people come to Plum Village each summer from over a dozen countries to listen and to learn how to bring peace and understanding to their daily lives.)… When a person spoke, they refrained from using words of blame, hatred, and condemnation. They spoke in an atmosphere of trust and respect. Out of these dialogues the participating Palestinians and Israelis were very moved to realize that both sides suffer from fear. They appreciated the practice of deep listening and made arrangements to share what they had learned with others upon returning to their home countries.” (1)

Excerpts from Nhat Hanh’s “Creating True Peace”:

“To have peace, we must first have understanding, and understanding is not possible without gentle, loving communication. Therefore, restoring communication is an essential practice for peace. Communication is the foundation, the flowering of our practice of nonviolence.” (p.24)

“Our enemy is never another person; our enemy is the wrong perceptions and suffering within him, within her. When a doctor sees a person who is suffering, he tries to identify the sickness within the patient, to remove it. He does not try to kill his patient. The role of the doctor is not to kill people but to cure the illness within them. It is the same with a person who has suffered so much and who has been making you suffer—the solution is not to kill him but to try to relieve him of his suffering.” (p.89-90)

“If we kill the terrorist father, the son may become a terrorist; the more we kill, the more terrorists we may create. That has been the course of history.” (p.198)

“America can be a great nation if she knows how to act with compassion instead of punishment. We can offer peace. We can offer the relief of transformation and healing.” (p.205)

***

I believe we need to demand our children take courses specifically designed to
teach and promote peace and civil disobedience by learning the philosophy and struggles of world leaders like Gandhi, MLK, Jr., Mother Teresa, Nhat Hanh,
Siddhartha Gautama, Asoka, Kabir, Jesus of Nazareth, Muhammad, Loa Tze,
Confucius, etc.

Gandhi and his followers burned their British made cotton clothes and wove their own with Indian grown cotton and workers. He said "even the poor have pride" when asked why they didn't donate it.

We don't have to be as radical as Gandhi, we can just look at one item of our clothing, see where it was made, and then ship it to a village in that country and rebuy that product from an American made company--there are many online. This will stimulate our economy and show corporations that people are beginning to boycott their outsourced products.

Jesus said to "turn the other cheek."

We don't have to be as radical. We can at least learn about the grievances of our adversaries and then maybe even atone or at least apologize.

"for all who draw the sword will die by the sword." Matthew 26:52

"Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23
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Karuna Avatar
Karuna
Posts: 10
Posted: 08.27.09, 05:49 PM
Early Church Commune:

ACTS 2:
42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

ACTS 4:
32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.
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Karuna Avatar
Karuna
Posts: 10
Posted: 08.28.09, 06:22 PM
Matthew 19:21 ("perfect" is only used twice in the NIV of Matt.--this is it's second use)

21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Luke 14:33

any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

In all three of the synoptic gospels it states it's harder for a rich man to get into heaven than it is to pass a camel through the eye of a needle.

***

"The Fundamentals" were published in the beginning of the 20th century and mass distributed to Christians literally everywhere, and largely from this a new interpretation of Christianity had emerged.

There's Jesus Fundamentalism and there's Biblical Inerrancy.

Mark 7:13
Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."

I think something could be made of this.
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